Never Forget
by Leech The Puppy
Summary: Zerith & Cloti Zack dying, Aerith dying, Emo cloud and an emo tifa. i'm sucky at summaries. just read if you like angsty stuff and a happy ending.


I walked up to the army, sword in hand, looking around me. I recognized most of the men standing there, with guns and swords in hand, prepared to attack me. _"The same soldiers I trained are the same ones who are going to try to kill me."_

I lifted my sword and heard the sound of more than a thousand guns and swords being life in a position ready for battle. One of the younger soldiers pulled the trigger to his gun. The bullet aimed for my chest. The fight was on.

In a flash my sword was there protecting me as a shower of bullets were shot at me. I ran at them using the Buster Sword to protect me and slice through the rain of bullets.

No matter what, I was going to try my damn hardest to get back to her.

~FF7~

The pain was unbearable. It was almost as if I could feel every bullet hole tear more with every breath I took. But I ignored it the best I could. I watched as the rain feel down around me. The water running down my body, collecting all the blood that seeped from my wounds and collecting in little pools around me. Little pools that were now tainted with my blood. The pinkish water told me what I already knew was coming.

I was going to die.

I wasn't mad or even angry that I was dying. And I wasn't afraid of it either. I knew once I stepped up to that army, that I was most likely not going to make it out alive. But I almost did. I really did put up quite a fight.

I watched the rain fall, my head turning to the side. I saw a single flower. _"How did that survive the whole battle?_" The flower made me think of her. She was the only reason I had even tried to make my way back to Midgar. That's the only thing that I regret now as I lay her dying. I would no longer be able to see her beautiful eyes, or kiss her soft her lips. I wouldn't be able to hold her again and tell her how much I love her. "_Aerith…."_

I thought of every moment we spent together as I rest here and watch as the rain washed away the remaining blood that was left in my body. The first time I saw her, the last time I saw her.

The pain started to fade and my body went numb. No longer able to move, I watched as the world started to darken. _"So this was it?"_ I cough one last time as the remaining blood in my body slipped out into the rain. _"My Aerith. Live a long happy life. I'm sorry I broke my promise and couldn't come back to you. I love you." _

And that is where the great SOLDIER 1st class Zachary Fair died in his best friend's arms. Cloud Strife had been declared Zack's living legacy as he sat there watching his best friend die. Cloud picked up the Buster Sword and started to get up. The mako poisoning still affecting him greatly.

"I promise I'll never forget. Your memory will go on."

~FF7~

I saw Sephiroth coming. I knew he was here. I also knew what Tifa was going to do. Tifa was going to let Sephiroth kill her so that the rest of the group would have time to escape. I always knew that Tifa had loved Cloud. I also knew that she was the reason why Tifa was so willing to let her life go. She believed that Cloud loved me. And I don't blame her.

With the way I had been hanging around Cloud and flirting with him, she had every right to be upset. It was the only way that helped me cope with Zack's death.

Cloud's eyes turned to slits as Sephiroth descended from the sky. But those eyes soon widened as he saw Tifa running to attack Sephiroth.

"Tifa! No!" He tried to grab her but she was too quick.

This was my entire fault. I pushed Tifa out of the way as Sephiroth's sword pierced through my body. Tifa looked up and her eyes widened as she saw me. My blood dripped to the floor and out of my mouth. Sephiroth pulled his sword out of me and laughed. He smiled at Cloud and disappeared. Cloud ran to my side and looked at me, his eyes watering.

"Aerith?" He whispered.

"I was supposed to go Cloud." I whispered. He had to strain his ears to hear my fading voice. "I don't belong to you. I'm not meant for you. I never was. You are just so much like him that for a bit I thought you were him." She coughed blood splattering where it hit. "Don't blame Tifa. She just wanted to protect you. She was trying to make you happy."

"What do you mean Aerith?" He looked at her questionably.

She thought that if she died it'd make you happy. She thought she was getting in your way. She thought that you didn't love her. That you loved me. Give her that ring you bought for her. The one you showed me at the Golden Saucer. She'll love it." I coughed once more and the world went black as I went limp in Cloud's arms.

Next thing I knew, I was no longer in Cloud's arms. I was embraced in a very familiar pair of arms. I looked up and smiled when I saw his sky blue eyes. My hand moved and ruffled his black hair.

"I've missed you." Tears started to run down my cheeks.

"I missed you too." He kissed her.

~FF7~

Cloud carried Aerith's body out to the lake. He looked at her pale face one last time as he let her body go and she floated down into the water as her body dissolved into the life stream.

The whole group watched Cloud. Except for Tifa. She couldn't look at him. Not after what she did to him. Her stupidity caused him to lose his love. She looked at the ground, her hair covering her face.

Cloud walked back to the group. "Well there's nothing else we can do but continue our journey."

Everyone nodded and started to head back towards the ship, except for Tifa. She just stood there. Cloud turned around and looked at her.

"Tifa?"

"I think I'm going to leave the group. All I do is cause harm."

Cloud walked up to her and looked at her. Through her hair he could see the salty water running down her cheeks.

"I won't blame you if you hate me. I won't blame you if you wanted to kill me even. If you want to, I'll let you do it. I deserve it anyway."

Cloud growled having enough of what she was saying. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "Aerith made her choice. It wasn't your fault. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to Sepiroth. Courage that you have. And I admired that about you. Yes I'm upset Aerith died but I'd be more upset if it were you. You mean more to me than she did. She belonged to another man. Never me. I never felt anything for her. Well at least not close to anything that I feel about you."

Tifa looked at Cloud shocked. Her reddish brown eyes wide. Cloud leaned down and kissed her.

"Don't ever do anything that stupid again. I don't know what I'd ever do without you. I love you too much to lose you."

~FF7~

A few years later, that same man who had made that promise was standing next to the exact spot that his best friend had died. The Buster Sword now shinny from its recent cleaning was shoved into the ground to show this areas importance. The sword was a tombstone for his two closet friends.

Even after all these years, every time he looked at the ground, he saw it stained in Zack Fair's blood. He closed his eyes to try to escape the nightmare. That's when he felt two pair of arms wrap around him. A small pair wrapped around his leg as bright blue eyes that showed the inheritance of mako from his father. Cloud reached down and ruffled his son's blonde hair. The other pair of arms was no other than his wife. He never thought he'd actually get married nor have children. In Cloud's mind it had been that his Zack had given up his life for him and he couldn't have this life, so why should he?

Cloud was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a light kick at his back. He smiled when he knew what it was. He turned around and smiled at a very pregnant Tifa Strife. Tifa smiled at him encouragingly. Cloud embraced her and kissed her. His hands moving to rest on either side of her stomach.

"Um, I know you usually like to do this alone. Would you like me and Snow to go and wait by the truck?" She smiled at him.

Cloud nodded and kissed her lightly before she took their son's hand and started to walk back towards the truck. Cloud watched her walk away, talking as if someone was listening. "She knows me so well. I love her so much. Me and her have both lost so much. Both of us were broken but we were able to fix each other. And know we're giving each other what the other one has always wanted. A family, a home, just for someone who will listen to you no matter what." He looked up at the sky. "I hope you and Aerith found each other. You two were so perfect. You two would have had a perfect family." He looked back down at the ground. "I feel guilty that you can't live this life and I can. But I am very grateful for what you did. My family mean everything to me. Thank you Zack. And as I promised, your tale will be told by generations to come." Cloud sighed and started to walk back to his family. He smiled when he saw them and they got in the truck to head back home.

What cloud didn't know was that two ghostly figures had been standing there watching and listening to him. The man with dark hair and sky blue eyes looked at the woman with reddish hair and green eyes. They both smiled and kissed. The two faded, never regretting what they had done for that broken teen age blonde boy those few years ago.

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**well i'm back from vacation but things have been crappy since i got back... kids having been picking on my brother and they broke his hand. all we did was tell the kids to leave my brother alone and their parents came screaming at us saying we had no right... yeah... cops were called after they tried to break our door down. so i've been helping my brother out. and the kids are freaking 4 years older than my brother! one of them is my age which is close to seven years older than my brother. but i don't know how fast i'll be able to update. i'll try to update on my other stuff soon.**

**_well i hope you enjoy! Please Review With Your Thoughts On This! _**


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